1. Designing an internationally publishable research study Richard Watson Todd KMUTT

2. What is research? Research is an attempt to understand something better through the systematic and formal collection and analysis of empirical data. –Shanahan (2002)

3. What is research? Research is an attempt to understand something better through the systematic and formal collection and analysis of empirical data. –Shanahan (2002) Research does not try to prove something For internationally publishable research, the audience should be motivated to want to understand the “something”

4. What is research? Research is an attempt to understand something better through the systematic and formal collection and analysis of empirical data. –Shanahan (2002) The collection and analysis needs to be grounded in theory

5. What is research? Research is an attempt to understand something better through the systematic and formal collection and analysis of empirical data. –Shanahan (2002) The research needs to be rigorous

6. What are your research ideas?

7. Key issues You want to investigate how assigning roles in groupwork promotes meaningful interaction between students You cannot make a prediction if you don’t know why something happens You cannot know why something happens if you don’t know what is happening Description Explanation Prediction

8. Key issues You want to investigate the extent to which there is meaningful interaction between students in groupwork What terms need defining and operationalising?

9. Key issues You want to investigate the extent to which there is meaningful interaction between students in groupwork What terms need defining and operationalising? What is meant by ‘interaction’? Should non-verbal interaction be included?

10. Key issues You want to investigate the extent to which there is meaningful interaction between students in groupwork What terms need defining and operationalising? How can “meaningful interaction” be identified? What makes interaction meaningful?

11. http://arts.kmutt.ac.th/books/main.asp

12. Key issues You want to investigate the extent to which there is meaningful interaction between students in groupwork What framework to use? –Previous research into groupwork –Previous research using video recordings –Previous research into interaction

13. http://arts.kmutt.ac.th/crs/rmd/home.php Groupwork

14. http://arts.kmutt.ac.th/crs/rmd/home.php Video recordings

15. http://arts.kmutt.ac.th/crs/rmd/home.php Interaction

16. Key issues What theoretical framework to use? –Previous research into groupwork: Coded interaction analysis Discourse function analysis –Previous research using video recordings Conversation analysis Categorical function analysis –Previous research into interaction LRE (language-related episode) analysis Conversation analysis

17. Strengthening research ideas Building on traditional research approaches to provide insights or rigour 3 cases

18. Case 1: Teaching method evaluation Traditional: Pre- and post-test on a teaching method Problems –How does this lead to understanding? –Why should others be interested? –Where’s the explanation?

19. Case 1: Teaching method evaluation Investigation of effectiveness of data-Driven Learning (DDL): use of concordances to improve writing For a word in their writing, students generate concordance lines, identify patterns of use, apply these to their writing What types of words is DDL effective for? –Parts of speech –Polysemy –Variation in possible patterns

20. Case 2: Interviews on attitudes and beliefs Traditional: conduct interviews, group responses into themes intuitively Problems –Themes reflect interview questions –Lack of rigour

21. Case 2: Interviews on attitudes and beliefs Investigation of long-term changes after curriculum innovation Teachers interviewed with course outlines (changes over 4 years) as stimulus Interviews conducted using active listening Themes identified from frequency list/keyword analysis

22. Case 3: Attitude survey Traditional: distribute rating-scale questionnaires, calculate means for questions Problems –Validity of the responses –Perceptions, not behaviours

23. Case 3: Attitude survey Survey of Thai students’ attitudes to native-English-speaking teachers (NESTs) and non-NESTs 2 surveys focusing on different issues: –Stated preference –Level of comfort Implicit Association Test for unconscious attitudes

24. Summary Internationally publishable research needs to –Improve understanding of an issue –Be relevant to the audience –Be grounded in theory –Be rigorous –Consider the Description – Explanation – Prediction sequence –Have clearly and thoughtfully operationalised variables